A calm (cheap) place for a mind at work

Hi everyone!

My name is Adam and I'm a 27 y/o male from Toronto. I'm moving to Thailand to work on a project/philosophical mission in the Fall and I'm currently selling everything I own to make that happen (house/car/etc). I recently came to the realization that I want nothing more than to work on my project without distraction for 8 months to a year.

Thailand seems like the perfect place to make that happen; however, most forums seem geared towards those moving to Thailand to teach. My needs may be slightly different. My priorities are:

1. Low cost of living - I need to stretch my funds as I will not be working.

2. Serenity - I don't want to be in a downtown core, but I don't want to be so far that I can't make expat friends. I'll also need the space to lay out books and general research (I hear many apartments in the city are shoe-boxes).

3. Technology - I need to have decent internet speed, as much of my work depends on access to my blog, info, etc.

That said, I ask you all - where in Thailand should I move?

Thank you kindly for your help!

- Adam